President Biden told Afghan President Ashraf Ghani in late July that Afghanistan had a “perception” problem that should be manipulated for the public, suggesting Mr. Biden was aware of Afghan forces’ weaknesses even as he assured Americans they could defend their nation against the Taliban.
“I need not tell you the perception around the world and in parts of Afghanistan, I believe, is that things are not going well in terms of the fight against the Taliban. And there is a need, whether it is true or not, there is a need to project a different picture,” Mr. Biden told Mr. Ghani in their last call on July 23, according to a report from Reuters, which reviewed audio and a transcript.
Mr. Biden told Mr. Ghani that if prominent Afghan officials held a press conference to announce a new military strategy it “will change perception, and that will change an awful lot I think.”
Weeks later, provincial capitals and Kabul fell to the Taliban with amazing speed, indicating Mr. Biden’s fears about the faltering campaign were accurate as he focused on public optics by cheering Afghan forces and assuring Americans they wouldn’t see the type of rooftop evacuations that, nonetheless, unfolded weeks later.
However, parts of the call suggest neither Mr. Biden nor Mr. Ghani appreciated the speed with which Afghan forces would be overrun.
“You clearly have the best military,” Mr. Biden told Mr. Ghani. “You have 300,000 well-armed forces versus 70-80,000 and they’re clearly capable of fighting well.”
“We are going to continue to fight hard, diplomatically, politically, economically, to make sure your government not only survives but is sustained and grows,” Mr. Biden said.
A White House readout of the July 23 call did not suggest defeat was imminent. It focused on U.S. support for Afghanistan and its military and said the Taliban’s “current offensive is in direct contradiction to the movement’s claim to support a negotiated settlement of the conflict.”
The Reuters report says Mr. Ghani underscored the potential threat posed by the Taliban. He said there might be a chance to “rebalance the military solution,” but “we need to move with speed.”
“We are facing a full-scale invasion, composed of Taliban, full Pakistani planning and logistical support, and at least 10-15,000 international terrorists, predominantly Pakistanis thrown into this,” he told Mr. Biden.
A series of provincial capitals and Kabul fell to the Taliban less than a month later.
